Avello’s Oscar odds: Look out for ‘The Social Network,’ Firth and Portman

Johnny Avello, the Wynn and Encore's sports book operations director, is a master oddsmaker, the kind of guy who can set an educated betting line on a couple of cockroaches racing across the kitchen floor.

But enough about my old apartment …

Colin Firth and Helen Bonham Carter are both nominated -- and Firth is a heavy favorite -- for Oscars for "The King's Speech."

Natalie Portman, as dark as the title implies, in "Black Swan."

Avello, whom I ran into just this morning at KVVU Fox 5 during that station’s “More” show (link to his appearance here), has released his annual Academy Awards nomination odds list. Avello is a film buff who has been compiling and posting these odds for 16 years, making him the Academy Awards odds-making authority.

As always, the numbers posted are for entertainment purposes only. However, the latest numbers at Wynn and Encore for the Super Bowl -- Packers -2.5, total 44.5 -- you can jump all over those.

As for the Academy Awards nominations (a list he released preliminarily back in December), Avello likes “The Social Network” (2-to-3) to win for Best Picture. Other favorites: Colin Firth (1-to-5) in “The King’s Speech” for Best Actor, Natalie Portman (2-to-5) in “Black Swan” for Best Actress, Christian Bale (1-to-3) in “The Fighter” for Best Supporting Actor, Melissa Leo (even) in “The Fighter” for Best Supporting Actress, and David Fincher from “The Social Network” for Best Director.

Firth is the biggest favorite on the board. John Hawkes of “Winter's Bone,” at 50-to-1, is the longest shot on the list among the actor nominees. The heaviest underdog of all is "Winter's Bone" in the Best Picture field, at 125-to-1.